How do you get a Montblanc 144 that has lain unused for years, with a seized converter, working again, and what should you look for when buying second-hand?

Dried ink is the commonest reason why a cartridge pen left standing for a long time no longer works. If the converter will not turn, leave it for about an hour in hand-warm water; the piston will then almost always free itself and the residues can be rinsed out. Nib, section and feed are then flushed through until no more colour shows on a paper towel, since old ink sits deep in the channels of the feed. Hot water and solvents are to be avoided, as they attack precious resin and glued joints. If the converter seals again afterwards, there is no need to replace it.

When buying a used 144, two points above all need settling: whether the nib is straight and unbent, and whether the precious resin is free of cracks, which form by preference at the cap lip and at the threads. Dirt and dried ink, by contrast, are not defects but a matter of a little patience. In classified ads, 144s from the 1980s occasionally turn up under the wrong maker's name because the seller does not know the model; the cap star, the engraving on the cap ring and the nib settle that reliably. In 2014 one such pen, in good external condition, changed hands for 20 euros, well below the going rate at the time.